5th symphony (Haydn)

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The Symphony in A major Hoboken directory I: 5 composed Joseph Haydn to 1760/61 during his period of employment with Count Morzin. Contrary to the usual form, the work begins with the slow movement. In movements 2 and 3 the horns have demanding, solo passages. The final sentence is exceptionally short.

General

Joseph Haydn (painting by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, around 1770)

Joseph Haydn composed the Symphony Hoboken-Directory I: 5 around 1760/61 while he was employed by Count Morzin.

The full sequence slow - fast - dance movement (minuet) - quickly determined by that of the late Baroque Kirchensonate and is under Haydn Sinfonien even with no. 11 , No. 18th , no. 21 , no. 22 , no. 34 and no 49th represented . In contrast to the four-movement church sonata, the third position is not a slow movement, but a minuet (Symphony No. 18 is only in three movements), and the approaches to polyphony or fugue that are typical for the fast movements of the church sonatas are missing in the corresponding movements of Symphony No. 5. In accordance with the church sonata, however, all movements in the aforementioned symphonies are kept in the same key.

In the adagio and in the trio of the minuet, the horns play demanding solo passages in high register. Symphonies Nos. 5 and 11 are highlighted among Haydn's earliest symphonies:

“The two symphonies 5 and 11 differ fundamentally from those of the Italian type: they appear far more personal, more conflictual and deeply emotionally charged (...). The two opening movements, Adagio ma non troppo (Symphony 5) and Adagio cantabile (Symphony 11), and thus the first really slow movements in Haydn's symphonic oeuvre, noticeably surpass the middle movements of the other early symphonies in terms of emotional expression. "

"The fact that some of his early symphonies - such as Nos. 5 and 11 - seem more carefully worked out than others could be due to the fact that Haydn perhaps had more time to compose these symphonies."

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , two horns , two violins , viola , cello , double bass . At that time, a bassoon was used to reinforce the bass voice, even without separate notation . On the participation of a harpsichord - continuos are competing views in Haydn's symphonies.

Performance time: approx. 15 minutes (depending on compliance with the prescribed repetitions)

With the terms of the sonata form used here, it should be noted that this scheme was designed in the first half of the 19th century (see there) and can therefore only be transferred to a work composed around 1760/61 with restrictions. - The structure of the sentences made here is to be understood as a suggestion. Depending on the point of view, other delimitations and interpretations are also possible.

First movement: Adagio, ma non troppo

A major, 2/4 time, 82 bars

Beginning of the Adagio

Haydn begins the symphony with a six-bar theme in the strings, which is characterized by trills and dotted rhythms. The solo horns respond to this “simple, clearly structured, song-like melody” with their three-bar, demanding, signal-like figure, whereupon the strings and horns - introduced by the head motif of the theme - enter into a dialogue. After the horn solo, which has been extended to four bars, a new motif begins in bar 20 in the dominant E major, again with trills and dotted rhythms, as well as with forte piano contrast. The final group from bar 26 picks up the theme from the beginning of the movement, as well as the forte piano contrast.

At the beginning of the middle section (“development”, bars 31 to 53) the violins play staggered motifs from the theme. A minor obscuration from bar 42 then emphasizes the forte piano contrasts, which now appear particularly harsh due to leads (e.g. bar 44: a sharp lead on F sharp major chord).

In the recapitulation, the horns also lead the voice on the theme, and the first horn solo is more extended. The further course is different from the exposition: A dialogue of the theme head in the violins (from bar 65) is followed by another forte piano motif, and at the end of the movement the horn solo from the beginning appears again. Both parts of the sentence (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

Due to the rather serious mood and the solo figures for the horns, the Adagio resembles the slow opening movement of Symphony No. 21 from 1764, which is also in A major. There, however, the oboes take over the solo roles (for further similarities, see Presto).

Second movement: Allegro

A major, 3/4 time, 134 bars

Beginning of the Allegro

The main theme of this energetic movement with "incessantly propulsive music" is initially presented by the whole orchestra in unison. It opens with an octave jump upwards and “subsequent triad crashes of the sharpest conciseness” with a characteristic sixteenth-note prelude. A unison twist in staccato eighth notes ends the eight-bar theme. The thematic material (octave jump and prelude), however, also characterizes the rest of the movement: From bar 9, the theme head follows in the bass over syncopation and running figures of the violins. From bar 19, the theme appears in the 1st violin, underlaid by tremolo surfaces that dominate from bar 22. The theme is similar to the beginning of a symphony in A major by Leopold Hofmann.

The following piano passage with separate phrases only for the two violins, which is introduced by the octave jump motif, establishes the dominant E major. After a dialogue between the low and high strings (the low strings take up one of the previous phrases), the final group begins, again with tremolo, an energetic unison figure in eighth notes (similar to bar 8) and the octave jump.

The development begins with the processing of the topic head (octave jump) in the 1st violin, underlaid by upward scales and the octave jump (now downwards) of the 2nd violin. From bar 62 onwards the violins play the octave motif alternately with tremolo until the bass finally takes over the voice. In bar 70, Haydn reached F sharp minor by changing the key, in which the strings now present a short piano passage with a new, freely spun melody of the 1st violin. The dialogue between low and high strings similar to measure 74 of the exposition then leads to the recapitulation.

This is structured in a similar way to the exposition, but the beginning is noticeably different: At an organ point on A, 1st violin and bass play the main theme offset by a quarter note. Both parts of the sentence (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

“The highlight of this symphony is undoubtedly the 2nd movement: a rushing, fiery Allego, whose dramatic breath reminds one of Mozart. Unusually the fissured main theme with its sharp 16th note upbeat, which, according to the baroque concerto art, is initially preceded in unison. "

“The two allegro movements of these symphonies, which are in second place, are absolutely unprecedented in their impetuous vehemence and succinct, concise formation in Haydn's early symphonic works. (...) As is to be expected with this extraordinary movement, the recapitulation does not start 'correctly', but introduces the theme in the basses, which are canonically imitated a quarter from the first violins, resulting in a noticeable intensification of the effect leads."

Third movement: Minuet

A major, 3/4 time, with trio 52 bars

The main idea of ​​the minuet is characterized by its question-and-answer turn with forte-piano contrasts. In the following, energetic eight-bar, the rhythm is loosened up by triplets . At the beginning of the second part, the loosening is extended by the three-way rhythm of the triplets in the 1st violin alternating with the "normal" two-way rhythm of the eighth notes (two eighth notes per quarter) in the other strings. When the main idea is taken up again, the “energetic” section is shortened to six bars.

In the trio (also in A major), which "strikes a bucolic note" , horns and oboes alternate with solo passages that accompany the strings. The horns begin with a four-beat, the ascending triad turn of which leads to the double-bowed A, whereupon the oboes respond with a four-beat enriched with triplets. At the beginning of the second part, the oboes continue their melody in another four-bar until the horns pick up their four-bar again from the beginning of the movement. The rest of the trio play both instruments in dialogue or together.

Fourth movement: Presto

A major, 2/2 time (alla breve), 59 measures

The main theme is performed piano only by the two violins and consists of a falling line of the 1st violin, which starts on the accompanying counterpart of the 2nd violin. After a short forte by the entire orchestra, this theme is repeated in various ways, followed by another forte block with runs and tremolo in the dominant E major. The final group takes up the main theme: falling line in 1st oboe and 1st violin, plus an opposing voice in 2nd oboe and 2nd violin, accompanied by the low strings. The beginning of the final movement of Symphony No. 21, which is also in A major and has a similar sequence of movements (beginning with an adagio), is structured in a similar way.

The middle section begins from the dominant E major with the variant of the main theme extended to six bars, then the falling line is repeated again, resolved in the tremolo of the violins. The recapitulation is reached again in bar 44. This is shortened compared to the exposition: the main theme is already followed by the forte passage according to measure 16 and the changed final group with a scrolling figure. Both parts of the sentence (exposition as well as development and recapitulation) are repeated.

“[The Presto] also differs in character from the divertiment-like sweep that is usually encountered at this point in the early symphonies. This extremely brief Presto, only 59 bars long, is a real little symphony 'finale', a signpost to the future, as Robbins Landon calls it: this is how, only more extensive and richer, the language of Haydn's future great finals will be ( ...). "

Individual references, comments

  1. ↑ Information page of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Wolfgang Marggraf : Haydn's earliest symphonies (1759–1761). The symphonies of the "Sonata-da-chiesa" type. http://www.haydn-sinfonien.de/text/chapter2.2.html , accessed January 30, 2013.
  3. ^ A b Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, pp. 218, 222.
  4. ↑ a b Ludwig Finscher: Joseph Haydn and his time . Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 2000, ISBN 3-921518-94-6 , p. 139.
  5. ^ Michael Walter: Haydn's symphonies. A musical factory guide. CH Beck-Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-44813-3 , p. 27.
  6. ↑ Examples: a) James Webster: On the Absence of Keyboard Continuo in Haydn's Symphonies. In: Early Music Volume 18 No. 4, 1990, pp. 599-608); b) Hartmut Haenchen : Haydn, Joseph: Haydn's orchestra and the harpsichord question in the early symphonies. Booklet text for the recordings of the early Haydn symphonies. , online (accessed June 26, 2019), to: H. Haenchen: Early Haydn Symphonies , Berlin Classics, 1988–1990, cassette with 18 symphonies; c) Jamie James: He'd Rather Fight Than Use Keyboard In His Haydn Series . In: New York Times , October 2, 1994 (accessed June 25, 2019; showing various positions by Roy Goodman , Christopher Hogwood , HC Robbins Landon and James Webster). Most orchestras with modern instruments currently (as of 2019) do not use a harpsichord continuo. Recordings with harpsichord continuo exist. a. by: Trevor Pinnock ( Sturm und Drang symphonies , archive, 1989/90); Nikolaus Harnoncourt (No. 6-8, Das Alte Werk, 1990); Sigiswald Kuijken (including Paris and London symphonies ; Virgin, 1988-1995); Roy Goodman (e.g. Nos. 1-25, 70-78; Hyperion, 2002).
  7. ^ A b c Walter Lessing: The symphonies of Joseph Haydn, in addition: all masses. A series of broadcasts on Südwestfunk Baden-Baden 1987–1989, published by Südwestfunk Baden-Baden in 3 volumes. Volume 1, Baden-Baden 1989, pp. 19-20.
  8. ^ Howard Chandler Robbins Landon: The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Universal Edition & Rocklife, London 1955, p. 218
  9. ↑ a b c The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.
  10. ↑ a b James Webster: Hob.I: 5th Symphony in A major. Information text on Symphony No. 5 in A major by Joseph Haydn of the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, see under web links.
  11. ↑ According to Finscher 2000, p. 139. Finscher also points to the more distant relationship to the beginning of the Piano Concerto in C minor KV 491 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart .
  12. ↑ This refers to the symphonies No. 5 and No. 11.

Web links, notes

See also